Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009

Today in the News Media

Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media.

The secret of school success (USA Today)
Picture two kindergartners, just starting school. Their teacher suggests playing a silly game called Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders. It seems like a trivial thing, but according to a recent study in Developmental Psychology, by the end of a nine-month school year, the child who excels at this game will have zoomed 3.4 months ahead of the other child in math, and two months ahead in vocabulary. It turns out that “these are really the same skills you need to do well in school,” and potentially in life, says Megan McClelland, an Oregon State University professor who studied the game.Win free groceries, get nutritional advice (KATU)
Families eligible for food stamps in Marion County can now win up to $100 worth of free groceries. Oregon State University is sponsoring the contest, which ends on Friday, as part of its Food Hero nutritional campaign.

Archaeology team sifts through Fort Yamhill’s history (Statesman Journal)
It’s fitting that a group of students from Oregon State University’s Archaeology Field School has unearthed the latest in a series of Fort Yamhill attractions, foundational remains of the long-gone Bake House’s stone oven, which served scores of officers and soldiers from the prestatehood years of the 1850s through Oregon’s early years to the fort’s closure in 1866.Lionfish to be mane attraction in restaurants (Bermuda Sun)
“Lionfish are eating their way through the [Atlantic] reefs like a plague of ­locusts. This may become the most devastating ­marine invasion in ­history,” said Mark Hixon, a coral reef ecology expert at Oregon State University, in a recent interview with the Miami Herald.
Vet students to help in Nicaragua (Gazette-Times)
A team of Oregon State University students will visit the island of Ometepe off Nicaragua from Sept. 8 through 22 to volunteer needed veterinary medicine services for the island livestock, food animals and pets.
Gates scholarship nets CHS grad full ride at OSU (Gazette-Times)
Staying busy and meeting new people paid off big for Sandy Cervantes. The 2009 Corvallis High School graduate learned in May that she was one of 1,000 students across the country to earn a scholarship through the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

Deborah Fernandez (Gazette-Times)
Deborah “Deb” Fernandez, 48 years young, of Philomath tragically died in a car accident on Thursday night, Aug. 27, near Junction City. She formerly worked at OSU.Positive parenting can have lasting impact for generations (Health Digest)
A new OSU study that looks at data on three generations of Oregon families shows that “positive parenting” – including factors such as warmth, monitoring children’s activities, involvement, and consistency of discipline – not only has positive impacts on adolescents, but on the way they parent their own children.

Today

The OSU Evening Store is open tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The store offers used surplus equipment, including computers, bicycles, furniture, and more. The store is located at 644 S.W. 13th St.

Upcoming Events

NEW! A memorial service is being held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, for former OSU Human Resources employee Deb Fernandez. She was killed in a car accident last week. The service will be held in the LaSells Stewart Center. Memorial contributions can be made to an account in her name at any OSU Federal Credit Union. The money will go toward supporting Safe Haven Humane Society, a no-kill animal shelter in Linn County. Student parking spaces are available for attendees to this service. (See obituary in Today in News Media)

NEW! The Women’s Center will be hosting a coffee hour from 4 to 5 p.m., Sept. 3, for international women students to discuss academic success. Mary Prindiville from the Academic Success Center will be facilitating a conversation with any students who wish to attend. The coffee hour is open to anyone in the university community and the intent is to help international women forge relationships and build networks with others at OSU and with each other.

NEW! The Valley Library will be closed for an annual in-service day for faculty and staff during intersession, Sept. 9. Although the library will not be open the main entrance on first and second floors will be unlocked for access to the outer lobby, ATM, phones and Java II. For more information please contact Kerrie.Cook@oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-4633.

There will be a Subsurface Biosphere Initiative (SBI) undergraduate interns poster session, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 3, in MU 109. This is a good opportunity to meet with the students and learn about their research and experience with the SBI internship program. Thirty undergraduate interns have been working on research related to the Subsurface Biosphere Initiative with faculty members in the colleges of Agricultural Science, Engineering, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and Science. To RSVP or if you have questions,, please e-mail garrett.jones@oregonstate.edu .

Local nonprofit AIDS Service organization, Valley AIDS Information Network (VAIN) will host a fundraising event called Beach Blanket Babylon at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Osborn Aquatic Center’s Otter Beach, located at 1940 NW Highland Dr. The family-friendly event is open to the public. Participants will have access to the Otter Beach section of the water park and hamburgers and sodas will be served. Admission is $20 for adults (18+), $10 for all students with student ID, and free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult and a donation of a can of food. Food donations will be given to Linn Benton Food Share. The event will be emceed by local drag queen personalities LaVerne Lydell and Lucilla DeMoore.

Oregon State University will hold a rulemaking hearing Sept. 15, regarding a proposal to revise regulations governing the use of motor vehicles. The amendment would permit OSU to have vehicles towed that are parked in reserved parking spaces or handicapped spaces. The purpose of the hearing is to give the public a chance to provide feedback and comments on the proposed action. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Union 206. It is open to the public.

Are you interested in being part of a Weight Watchers At Work group? The Open House meetings will be held Sept. 8 at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in Rooms 322 A/B in the Student Health Services, Plageman Building. The meetings are not limited to OSU employees. The next 13-week session begins Sept. 15. If you are a PEBB subscriber, your meeting fees will be fully subsidized. If you have Regence you may call 800-826-9813 to get a WW access code for the work WW group. You will need the ID number from your Regence card and also a P number that is not listed on that card. You can find that number on your ODS card. You will present that access code at the meeting on Sept 15. For more information, please contact Kathi at 541-737-3106.

News for Employees

NEW! Transit & Parking Services sixth annual Car in the Jar contest! Please come by our office located at 100 Adams Hall to view the cars in the jar and guess how many there are to win a free annual parking permit. The winner’s name will be drawn Oct 15.

NEW! The Health Sciences Business Center is seeking applicants for a full-time, 12-month fixed term position as Human Resources Consultant 2. This is an internal recruitment open to OSU employees only. To review posting and apply, go to http://oregonstate.edu/jobs posting number 0004653 . Closing date: Sept. 11.

NEW! The Arts and Science Business Center is seeking applicants for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month Accountant 2. The Arts & Sciences Business Center (ASBC) is responsible for providing administrative, human resources, and business services to the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science, and the Honors College. This is an internal recruitment open to OSU employees only. To review posting and apply, go to http://oregonstate.edu/jobs posting number 0004656. Closing date: Sept. 13.

NEW! Finance and Administration is recruiting for a Manager for the Business Center 7 which will serve Business Services, Conference Services, Counseling Services, Facilities, Housing & Dining Services, Memorial Union, Public Safety, Recreational Sports, Student Health Services, and Athletics. This is a 12-month, fixed-term, professional faculty position with annual full-time salary range of $95,000 – $105,000/yr. This position will initially be housed in Business Services. This is an Internal Search, and is open to current, regular status OSU employees only. The deadline for applications is Sept. 11. For the full announcement and application instructions, please visit http://oregonstate.edu/jobs.

NEW! Fall 2009-2010 parking permits are now on sale at Transit & Parking Services. For all the parking permit updates, access the information online at http://oregonstate.edu/facilities/transit_pkg/permit_pkg.html Click on either the ‘staff & faculty’ or ‘student’ located under the ‘parking permits’ for the correct forms to fill out. The OSU ID card is required for purchasing any permit. Term permits are also available.

Oregon State University invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term position as Vice President for Research. This position reports to the President. For details go to https://jobs.oregonstate.edu posting number 0004640. This position closes Oct. 27.

The Oregon State University Foundation is seeking an experienced Administrative Assistant to provide primary support to the Sr. Director of Strategic Communications and Donor Relations and Associate Campaign Director and to the staff in this department. For a complete job description and information about the OSU Foundation, go to www.osufoundation.org. Interested candidates should direct cover letter and resume to Fran Judy, Sr. HR Coordinator, at osuf.hr@oregonstate.edu, 850 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, 97333. This position will remain open until filled.

The Research Office is requesting Letters of Intent from interested faculty for the National Science Foundation – Science Master’s Program (SMP). Guidance for preparation of Letters of Intent to the Research Office and full details for the NSF – SMP program may be found at: http://oregonstate.edu/research/incentive/smp.html. Letters of Intent should be submitted electronically as a MS Word or PDF document to Debbie Delmore, Research Office at debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu by 3 p.m. Sept. 9. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Debbie Delmore at 541-737-8390.

Traffic and Maintenance

Buxton, Hawley, Cauthorn, Poling, Reed, Heckart Lodge, West Dining Hall, Peavy Hall: Due to the installation of new electrical services to Heckart Lodge all electrical services to the above listed buildings will be temporarily shutdown. This will affect all rooms, on all floors, in each building. The first outage period will begin Sept. 3 at 8 a.m., restoring power by 9 a.m., and the second outage period will begin at 4 p.m., restoring power at 5 p.m.

Benton Hall and Milne Computer Center: Due to tree maintenance, the parking lots south and west of Benton Hall and east of Milne Computer Center will be temporarily shutdown. This shutdown will begin at 6 a.m. on Sept. 3 and should continue through 5 p.m.

Weather

Yesterday’s rain has gone, but late summer showers will return later this week, so grab a blanket and try and fit in one last picnic before things get drippy. Today’s high will be 83 under sunny skies, and tomorrow should be 79. Clouds and rain roll in Friday evening.